The present invention relates to labels, and more particularly to expanded content labels and a method for producing the same.
Expanded content labels provide a simple and effective means for securing increased amounts of printed information to a product or its packaging. They are increasingly used to replace leaflets and other materials otherwise packaged with products.
A typical expanded content label (ECL) includes a booklet or leaflet that is either secured directly to the product or to a base label that is in turn secured to the product. The present invention is directed to the later "base label" construction. The booklet is pre-printed with information such as instructions, product warnings, or ingredients.
A challenge is presented when expanded content labels are applied to curved surfaces, such as bottles. An expanded content label has thickness, and consequently the layers have different radii of curvature when the label is mounted on a curved surface. Typically, the layers are intersecured in at least one of the longitudinal and lateral directions. Consequently, at least one of the layers will buckle or wrinkle when one attempts to mount the label on a bottle. This effect prevents the label from being smoothly secured to the bottle, presenting an unsightly and otherwise unacceptable situation. In addition, the strain on the booklet may cause the label to pop open or to peel away from the container.
To address this situation, expanded content labels have been manufactured with a "precurve" that enables the label to conform to the shape of a curved surface. Special equipment and techniques are required to form a precurve. As a result, a precurve label is relatively difficult to manufacture. In addition, labels formed with a precurve are effectively limited to use on surfaces having a radius matching that of the precurve. Accordingly, a label must be carefully matched to a particular bottle diameter and is thereafter not well suited for a bottle having a different diameter. Further, a precurve label for a round bottle is not well suited for use on a flat surface.